Dispensing apparatus



P. H. HORWITT.

DISPENSING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 4, 1922.

wmI/Ess TTOH/I/EYS P. H. HUHWITT.

DISPENSING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 4,1922.

Patented Oct. 31, 1922.

TSHEETS-SHEET 2.

P. H. -HORWITL DISPENSING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION msn FEB. 4. 1922.

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WITNESS y/MW A TTRN E VS P. H. HORWITT. DISPENSINGARPARAIUS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 4,1922.

1,434,057', Patented o@t.31,1922.

7 SHEETS-SHEET 5.

P. H. HonwlTT. DISP'ENSNG APPARATUS. l APPLICATWN FILED FEB. 4| 1922.1,434,57. Patented Oct, 31, 1922.

- 7 SHEETS-SHEET 6.

/1 TT OHNE YS P. H. HORWITT.

DISPENSING APPARATUS.

' APPLICATION man ma. 4, 1922.

7 SHEETS-SHEET Z.

A TOHWEYS Patented 3l, i922..

intesi UNlTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

PAUL H. HORWITT, OIF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO SIMPLEX PAPERaconssoarns co., or BROOKLYN, new

YORK.

YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW DISPENSING- APPARATUS.

` Application led February 4, i922.

To all whom t 'may concern:

Be it known that I, PAUL H. Honwrr'r, a citizen ot the nUnited States of.i-Xmeriea, and a resident of the borough of Brooklyn. county of Kings,city and State of New York, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Dispensing Apparatus, of which the following is laspecification.

My invention relates to dispensing apparatus and has Jfor its object toprovide a novel device whereby paper napkins may be individuallydispensed at will when required tor use and without subjecting thenapkins to handling by others prior thereto. A* further object of theinvention is to so construct the apparatus as to permit napkine 'Foldedin a distinctive ita-inner by means' of suitable machinery to be readilyplaced in the apparatus in. proper position to be dispensed thereby.Other more speciiic objects of the invention will appear from thedescription hereinafter and the features of novelty will be pointed outin the appended claims. f

In the accompanying drawings, which show several examples of theinvention without defining its limits, Figures 1 and 2 are elevations,looking at approximately right angles to each other, of one form ot theapparatus; Fig. 3 is a horizontal section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1;Fig. 4 is' a horizontal section on an enlarged scale taken on the line4`4 of Fig. 2; Fig. 5 is a tragmea tary sectional view on the liner ofFig. 4; Fig 6 is a horizontal section on the line G+S of Fig. 5; liigs.7 and 8 are detail fragmentary sections on the lines 7-7 and 8 8,respectively. of Fig. 4; Figs. 9 and 10 are similar views on the lines9`9 and 10h10, respectively, of Fig. 6; Fig. 11 is a perspective view ota package of napkins as utilized in connection with this form of the apparatus; Fig. 12is an elevation of another form of the invention; F ig.13 is a horizon- `tal section thereof onthe line 13%13 of Fig. 12; Fig.14 is a similar view on the line 14-14 of Fig. 15; Fig. 15 is a verticalsection on the line 15-15 of Fig.` 14; Fig. 16 is a perspective viewillustrating a package of napkins as used with this second form otapparatus; Fig. 17 is' an elevation of still another -form of theinvention; Fig` 18 is a plan view with the cover removed; Fig. 19 `is anend elevation; Fig. 2O is a vertical section onthe line 20-20 of Fig. 17Fig. 21

Serial No. 534,070.`

is a fragmentary end view showing the parts in a diiferent position, andFig- 22 is a perspective view illustrating a package oi nap,- kins asused in this form ci apparatus.

ln the forni shownA in Figs. 1 tc 11 inclu sive, the apparatus comprisesa container 25, which is of any suitable cross-sectional form andpreferably of the cylindrical form illus trated, and is of predeterminedheightand provided with a door 26 hinged atl-27 and maintained in itsclosed position in any suitable manner, as `by'means of a catch or lock28@ The container 25 is preferably provided with a sight 29 whichentends lengthwise thereof and whichmay be closed by means of a plate`of glass or other transparent material to render the interior of thecontainer visible without permitting' dirt or other foreign material toenter the saine, the `upper end of thecontainer 25 is closed b y`meansof a cover 30, which maybe per manently .fixed in position, hinged 4orremovable, as desired.` The container tits into and is supported bymeans of a cylindrical casting 31 which is properly recessed to receivesaid container lso that it will lie flush with the interior surface ofsaid casting, as shown in Fig. 5. The casting in turn, is supported upon32 and is provideil with depending annular flange 33 so located to tornia horizontal shoulder 34; as sho i Fig. 5. A pluralitY f of guidingdevice. located within the casting` 31 and L are of triangular shapewith the, apices pointing inwardly toward the centre of the casting toform' angular-guideways 35 and ib: the guiding devices are so arrangedwithin the casting 31 as to locate the; angular guides 35gL in spacedrelation to each other to form the corners of an imaginary rec;- tangleand to position the angular guideways 35b in a manner to form thecorners of anotherA imaginary rectangle diagonally lo* cated withrespect to the inst-mentioned imaginary rectangle, as shown in Fig. I3.The upper ends of the guiding` devices 35 each taper upwardly, asindicatedat 35, so that the` guideways 35L and 35b are yprovided withi'laring inlet ends, as shown in Fig. 5, whereby the napkins, to bereferred to more particularly hereinafter, are automatically guided intothe proper guideways, in accordance with the position occupied by saidLnapkins. A plurality of -c'ontrolliijryY membersin' the toria' oftrap-clears' 36 anc 36a are each hinged at 3.7 to a hinge member Afastened to the annular horizontal shoulder 34 in any suitable manner,as by rmeans of screws B. The trap-doors are lo cated in predeterminedgroups of four so as to extend beneath the lower or delivery ends of theangular guideways 35a and 35b rcspectively, that is to say, the doors36, which constitute one group, in their closed posh tion projectbeneath the lower ends of the angular guideways 35a while the doors 36,which represent another group, similarly extend beneath the lower endsof the angular guideways 35, `as shown in Fig. 4. ln the preferredconstruction, the doors 36 and 36? are each provided at their free endswith anges 36", the purpose of which will appear more fully hereinafter,and are further provided with cam members 38 and 388, respectively; vthelatter,` as shown in Figs. 7 and 8, may comprise integral continuationsof the trap-doors, so shaped as to perform their intended functions andalso to provide for the accommodation of the pivots 3,7. These cammembers 3S and 38n are located in co-operative relation to and bearingagainst rollers 39 and 39, respectively, the latter being located at thepro )er points upon an annular actuating member 4() which consists ofverticallyespaced rings maintained in their spaced relation by means ofdistance pieces 4l and 'one or more blocks 42. The annular actuatingmember 40 is rotatably mounted within the dependu ing flange 33y and ismaintained in its ink tended position in any suitable manner, as bymeans of lugs 43 extending inwardly from the flange 33 into the spacebetween the two rings of said actuating device 4() and rigidly securedto said flange in any suitable manner, as by ymeans of screws 44; tomaintain the member 40 in its rotative path, it may carry rollers 43a,which bear against the flange 33. An operating member 45 terminating `ina head 46 is'screwthreaded into a block42, as shown in Fig. 7., andprojects radially outward rtherefrom through a slot 47 formed in thevannular flange 33. ln the preferred construction, a receiving shelf ortable 48 is secured between .the supporting legs' 32, as shown in Figs.1, 2 and 6.

As shown in Fig. ll, the napkins a intended foruse with the form of theinvention so far described ya're `rectangular in form` or are folded ina mannerfto form rectangles, and are arranged in packages consisting ofa predetermined number of napkins `in which alternate napkins arearranged diagonally with respect lto cach other and are preferably tiedtogether in such relation by means of al band b ofpaper or the like.

In practice, the door 26 of the container 25 is opened -to-the positionindicated by dotted lines in Fig. 3 to permit the introduction of one ormore packages of napkins x, the packages being handled by means of theband Z and being placed in the container 25 in such a manner that theprojecting corners of the lowermost napkins will fit into the angularguideways 35a and. 351,'as shown in Fig. 23; the napkins which are abovethe ends 35 of the guiding devices wilhas previously stated,automatically be caused to enter the said guideways because of theflaring form of thc inlet ends thereof. After a package of napkins hasbeen introduced into the container, the baiid is ruptured and removedand additional 'packages are superimposed upon the first package andupon each other until the machine is fully loaded; the quantity ofnapkins remaining in a given machine during use thereof may always beascertained through the sight 29. After the :u iparatus has been loadedin the manner described, the door 26 is closed,and if desired, locked bymeans of a suitable lock; in this condition of the parts, the low ermostnapkin will be supported by means its rorlners upon that group of doors36 se,

iich happens to be in a closed poin Fig. 4, the doors 3G are closed,while the doors 36 are in their open position. lf a napkin is nowdesired, the member 45 is shifted by means of its head 46 from the fullline position in Figs.V 4 and 6 to the dotted line position therein,thereby bring ine' about a corresponding partial rotation ofI theannular actuating` member 40, which causes the .rollers to act upon thecam members 3S ina manner to close the group of doors '36 while at thesame time the rollers 39 co-operating with the cams 355a will permit thegroup of trap-doors ,36?L to drop hv gravity to'an 'open position; theclosed i fl open positions assumed by the doors are indicated,respectively, in Figs. ,7 and S. As the doors 36 drop to the openposition., the corners of the loweri'nost napkin a will no longer besupported thereby, and consequently Athe said lowerniost napkin wil-ldrop n -pouthc shelf 43, from` 'which' it may be readily removed foruse. At the same time, because ofthe fact that the doors 36 'now oc cupva closed position, the next succeeding napkin ff, which now becomes thelowermost one. will be supported at its corners by the doors 36 and'will thereby be vprevented from dropping from the apparatus and will'serve to support the column of napkins in said container. is the member45 is shifted hack to the full line position of Figs. 4 and 6. theannular actuating member 40 will be rotated Vin the reverse 'lirectionand will cause the rollers 39a, co-operatinc; with the cams 38a, torestore .the group of doors 36a to the closed position shown in Fig. 7,while at'the same time. the rollers 39 co-operating ywith the cams38will permit the group `of doors 36 to drop to the open position shownin Fig. 8, whereupon ythe next Succeeding napkin a is permitted to dropupon the shelt' 4.8", while the following napkin and the column otnapkins above the same again held in place by the doors 36"'. Thus, byreciprocating the annular actuating member et() through the medium ofthe memberl in the manner described. individual napkins may readily betreed from the apparatus into a position ot.' ready accessibility foruse. The operation oi the machine, in so far as the dispensing of thenapkins is concerned, is entirely automatic and the napkins cannot betouched and do not needto be handled by human hands until they arereleased trom the container by the individual for immediate use. lt thenapkins are arranged in the 'torni ot the package shown in Fig, ll bymachinery, and if the packages are introduced into the container bymeans of the bands Z), it Will readily be seen that such napkins are nothandled by human hands previous to use and are handled only by theperson actually intending to use the individual napkins, Uncontaminatedand sanitary napkins are therefore assured to the user when such napkinsare dispensed' by the apparatus so far described.

The form ot apparatus illustrated in Figs. 1. to ll inclusive isprimarily intended t be made in relatively large sizes and to contain arelatively large supply of napkins and to be placed in a location, forinstance 1n a restaurant, accessible to all of its patrons; it Will, ofcourse, be understood that this is not necessary to the successfuloperation ot the apparatus and that the indicated form thereoil may bemade in small sizes, it desii-ed.

In Figs. .l2 to 16 inclusive. the device is made in a `t'orm intended tobe placed upon tables for use by individuals at such tables, saidapparatus being accordingly ot some- Whatsmaller dimensions than the onepreviously described. As shoivn in Fig. 16, the napkins of are folded inan oblong torni and so that alternate napkins cross each otherat rightangles, the package being secured yb v means ol a band Z2 of paper orthe like in `the same manner as previously described.

These napkins are placed in a container through the upper open endthereof, Which is normally closed by ieans ot a removable cover securedin place in any suitable manner, as by means oli' abayonet joint 30".

`The container, as shown, is supported upon legs 32, and may also beprovided with a transparent sight 29l through Which the contents niay benoted. In this for i, four guiding devices 35d are located Within thecon-- tainer 25a in a manner to form guideivays 35e and 35f arranged inco-operating pairs at right angles to eachother, as shown in Fig. l/i.Controlling members in the forni oil." doors 36" and 36d similar to thedoors previously mentioned and'hinged at 37a are located in co-operatingpairs or groups of two beneath the lower delivery ends of the guide-Ways and 35f respectively Said doors may also be provided at their freeends with flanges 36. The doors 36C and 36d are provided with cams 38and 38C similar to the cams 3S and 38a previously mentioned, and

likewise co-operating With rollers 39h carried by an annular' actuatingmember 40a. This actuating member 40"' is rotatably mounted Within anannular flange 33a corresponding to the flange 38, and is provided atpoints spaced apart a distance ot' approximately ninety degrees withactuating members 4i, 1L terminating in heads 4.6@ and projectingthrough slots 17a formed in the flange 83a. The member 40a may also beprovide at intervals with rollers 39f which correspond to the rollers43a oi" the form first described, and. by bearing against the flange33a. like- Wise maintain said member 40a in its rotative path.

By reciprocating the annular actuating member 4t()n through the mediumof any one ot the actuating members 45a, the doors 36C and 36d will bealternately opened and closed by means of the rollers 39 and cams 38" inthe manner previously described to release the lowermost napkin a andpermit it to drop upon a shelfv 48a, corresponding to the previouslymentioned shelf 48. By providing the plurality of actuating lmembers t",it is possible to manipulate the apparatus 4from all sides et' the tableupon which it is located Without requiring the said apparatus to beshifted about. lThe construction and operation ot this form of theinvention may otherwise be the same as previously described. l

The flanges 86h oi Vthe various doors in the 'toi-ms so fardescribed,serve to stretch the lon'ermost napkin or to place the same undertension, thus increasing the rigidity' of the support t'or thesuperimposed napkins, this stretching and tensioning of the 4napkin bymea-ns ot said flanges being due to the fact that said flanges iind apurchase in the erin-- kled or roughened surface of the lowermostnapkin. i i

Theform ol" apparatus shown in Figs. li to 2l inclusive is alsopreferably ot 4such dimensions as to adapt it specially tor use ontables and is primarily intended for' dis-- pensing napkins folded intriangular form, asl shown in FigLQQ. This form of apparatus accordinglyincludesa container 25 ot' generally rectangular Jform and provided witha cover 30h `which, ,in this instance, may be hinged as indicated at 30Cand detachably locked in its closed position by means ot suitable catch30d. The container 25h may also be mounted upon legs 32"` which are.preferably supported upona disk 32C which,

l receptacle in turn, is rotatably fixed upon a base 32d; in order toreduce the friction between the parts to a minimum, ball bearings 32Smay be located between the disk 32Ck and base 32d, any suitable meansbeing provided for maintaining them in `their intended location. liliththis arrangement, the apparatus is capable of being rotated about avertical axis for the purpose to be more clearly set forth hereinafter..at its'opposite ends, the 25b is provided with interior guiding devices35g having guiding surfaces 35' inclined at angles corresponding to theangles of the side edges of the folded napkins, as shown in Fig. 18. Inthe form now being described, trapdoors 36e and Bf are located incooperating .pairsor groups at opposite side edges of the container andare carried upon shafts 37b and 37C, which in turn are journalled insuitable bearings 37 forming part of or secured to the container 25h.The arrangement is suchy that the doors 6e and 36f project inwardlyltoward each other in opposed groups and converge toward their free,ends along lines correspond ing to the angles of the previouslymentioned side edges of the folded napkins, as also shown in Fig. 18.The shafts 37b and 37, at least at one end, extend beyond the bearings37d and carry members 38d and 38e, respectively, which may be said tocorrespond to the cams 38, 38, 3S and 38 included in the .formspreviously described. The members 38d and 38e are normally maintained inposition against stationary stops 49 by meansof springs 50, said stopsprojecting from an end wall of the container 25", as shown in Fig. 19.In the preferred arrangement, the members 38d and 38e are provided withflexible tongues 51 which project beyond the ends thereof, as shown inFig. 19, for the purpose to be more fully described hereinafter. Theform of apparatus new being described further includes an actuatingmember 4Gb pivoted at 43h upon the previously mentioned end wall of thecontainer and ,is 'provided with pins 39C and 39d. as illustrated alsoin Fig. 19. The actuating member 40b is continued in the form of amember 45", which terminates in a head 46" and corresponds in functionto the members 45 and 45a hereinbefore referred to. In order that theactuating mechanism may be protected and enclosed, the container isprovided With a flanged covering plate 52 securedv in place by means ofscrews 53 to completely cover the actuating mechanism described. In suchcase, a slot 47v is provided in the plate 52 for the accommodation ofthe headed stud 46" of the member 45h. Suitable stops 54 are providedfor arresting the Amovements of the member 45b and in addition, fingerpieces y55 are preferably provided on the plate 52 in the manner indilcated in Figs. 19 and 20.

being exerted upon the head 46" In the normal position of the partsindicated in Figs. l? to 20 inclusive,the members 38d and 38" are heldagainst stops 49 and the groups of doors 36e and 36f occupy horizontalclosed positions, as shown best in Fig. 20. rIfhe napkins a2 used withthis form of the apparatus, as previously stated, are folded intriangular form and are packed in predetermined numbers and secured insuch package i as shown in Fig. 22. A package of such napkin isintroduced into the container by means of a band b2, in the same way aspreviously described with respect to the other forms of the inventionhereinbefore referred to, so as to rest upon the doors 36@ and 3?. Itwill be understood that the hand if is ruptured and removed, as in theprevious forms, and further, that if desired or found necessary, asuitable weight 56 may be superimposed upon the supply of napkins in thecontainer 25b to exert a downward force thereon; this weight or itsequivalent may. if desired, be used also in the forms first described.When in position in the container, the napkins occupy the positionindicated by dotted lines in Fig. 18, it being understood that thelowermost napkin rests, for instance, upon the group of doors 36e bywhich it is held in the apparatus, and that the nextsuccessive napkin isin a reversed position and in line .with the doors 363i, thisarrangement being followed out throughout the supply of napkins; that isto say, each alternate napkin registers with one or the other of saidgroups of doors 36e or Sf. Vhen a napkin is desired in this form ofapparatus, the container is rotated upon the bearings 32e to bring` thatend of the container at which the actuating mechanism is located withinreach of the person desiring the napkin. Assuming the parts to be in theposition shown in Fig. 19, the head 46h is then swung toward the left;to prevent rotation of the container while this adjustment of the head4Gb is being effected," the thumb of the person desiring the napkin maybe pressed against the left-hand finger piece 55 to exert a pressurecounter to that and thus to hold the container in position againstrotation As the head 46b is moved to the left in the indicated manner,the member 4Gb will. be correspondingly actuated while the actuatingmember 40" will be co-incidentally swung toward the right in Fig. 19.This will'bring the pin 39C into engagement with the flexible tongue 51of the member 3S, and will accordingly swing said member downwardlyagainst the tension of its spring 50, which causes the group of doors36e to be moved downwardly to an open position, indicated in Fig. 1. Thelowermost napkin is thereby released and is dropped ,by gravity to theposition indicated, for in.d

by means of a band stance, bv dotted lines in Figs. 17 and 20;

tliisposition, the napkin is free to be rei'noved by the person desiringthe same. As the movement of the head 46h toward the lett is continuedfrom the position shown in Fig. 2l, the pin 39C will flex the tongue "fand finally pass beyond the same, Wherethe doors 86e will immediately berewned to their closed position by means of co-oliierating spring 50Which, at the tim restores the member 58d to its normal p s tion. Duringthe described actuation ot the parts, the pin 39i Will iinally e 'ragethe tongue 51 or the member 38e and will fier the same in the mannerindicated in i? ig. 21 and finally will pass beyond ilie same to aposition corresponding to that occupied by the pin 35% with respect tothe tongue oit the member 38d in Fig. 19. At this stage., the loyvermostnapkin is supported upon the group of doors 86 so that il the head fli')is moved back toward the f the pin 39d will actuate the member id thedoors tf ii the manner previousiy described, and thereby 'will releasethe 1in which is supported by said group` doors 361' and permit saidnapkin to drop position shown by dotted lines in 'i' and 20. l`hus,b,7simply rocking `iiiber ab" and actuating member flOb irnateiy to theright and left by means ill] P the head yfroh, individuel napkins insuch succession as may be desired or required may ii-:adily be dispensedby the apparatus.

ln all i'orms ot the invention, includingr those illustrated anddescribed, the apparatus includes controlling members which, ltorconvenience of description, have been re- ;lierred to as trap-doors andwhich are arranged in predetermined groups to support and releasealternate napkins, as such napkins reach the bottom otl thesupply or, inother words, become the lowerniost terminal napkins of the package orpackages located in said container. These controlling members are iactuated in such predetermined groups in a predetermined manner by meansot' suitable actuatingmechanism, for instance of the type hereinbeforedescribed; the groups of controlling members may all be coincidentallyoperated in a manner to bring one group to an operative or closedposition while the other group is shiftedto an inoperative or openposition, or vice versa, or said groups may be alternately shifted tosuch positions. rlhe term operative position, as used herein, isintended to indicate that position oll the doo-rs in Which the napkinsare prevented from dropping 'from the container, While the terminoperative position, as used herein, is intended to indicate theposition of the doors in which the loWermost napkin is released andpermitted to drop from said container. Thus, in the torms shown in Figs.1 to 16 inclusive,

.napkins by suitable machinery,

rip-right container arranged to contain a the controlling members ortrap-doors are allactuated in predetermined groups each time the annularactuating member 40 or 40a is rotatably/reciprocated, While in the formsshown in Figs. 17 to 22 inclusive, the con- 'fc trolling members areindependently and alternately operated in Ltheir predetermined groupseach time the actuating member 40h is manipulated. In all ol the forms,however, one group of controlling' members or It doors occupies anoperative or closed position, While the other group of controllingmembers or doors occupies an inoperative or open position, so that onlythe lowermost terminal napkin is permitted to drop from the container,the succeeding napkins being supported on that group of doors orcontrolling members which, at the time, occupies the closed position.

rlie invention., in all ot its forms, is sim- S ple in construction andeliicient in operation and provides an ideal medium whereby napkins maybe delivered to the user in an absolutely sanitary condition, free fromcontamination by the touch oit'` human hands and in exactly the fresh,undeled condition in Which they leave the folding machine. In additionto the novel dispensing apparatus, the invention provides also novelpackages of napkins, each arranged and folded in such a manner as to beparticularly adapted for one or the other ot' the various forms ot theapparatus and so as to be easily unfolded With one hand. These novelforms of packages make it possible to pack the and thereby handling or'further reduce the necessity for the napkins by human hands.

Various modifications in the specific forms shown and described may bemade Within the scope of the claims Without departing' from the spiritot my invention.

I claim: i

l. A dispensing apparatus coniiirising a container for a stack or'articles to be dispensed, a, plurality of pivoted controlling membersarranged in predetermined groups at the delivery end of said containerto alternately support said articles, the pivotal axes of said membersextending transversely to the delivery path of said stack, and means torshifting one group of controlling menibers, in a pivotal movement awayfrom the terminus of said stack to an inoperative position to releasethe terminal article, the remaining articles in said container beingsimultaneously supported by another group ol said controlling members.

2. A dispensing apparatus comprisingan stack of articles to be dispensedfrom below, a plurality of pivoted controlling members arranged inpredetermined groups at the delivery end of said container toalternately support said articles, the pivotal axes oit' said 130mechanism trolling members 1n a downward pivotal movement to aninoperative position to re` lease the terminal article or said stack andfor coincidentally shifting another group ol members in an upwardpivotal movement to an operative position to support the remaining stackofarticles.

l dispensing apparatus for paper napkins comprising a container adaptedto contain a supply of such napkins, a plurality or pivoted trap-doorsa-,rranged in predeter` mined groups to receive and supportalternatenapkins, and means for actuating` each group or doors torelease the terminal napkin supported thereby.

e. dispensing apparat-us for paper nap` kins comprising a tubularcontainer, a plurality of trap-doors aranged in predetermined groupsatthe delivery end of said container, an annular actuating memberadapted to be rotatably reciprocated to 'coincidentally actuate saidgroups of trapv` doors in predetermined relation, and means forreciprocating said annular actuatingmember. l f 5. A dispensing aparatosfor paper napkins comprising a tubular container, a plu` rality oftrap-doors arranged in groups of four at the delivery end of saidcontainer, am members connected with said doors, an annular actuatingmember adapted to be rotatably reciproca'ted, rollers on said annularmember (5o-operating with said cams, and means `tor reciprocating saidannular actuating member whereby said rollers and cams are caused tooperate said groups of doors in predetermined relation.

G. A dispensing apparatus for paper nap'- kins comprising a tubularcontainer, a plu` rality of doors located in groups of two at thedelivery end thereof, cam members connected with said doors, an annularactuating member adapted to be rotatably reciprocated, rollers on saidannular member co-operats ing with said cams, and inea-ns torreciproeating annular actuating member whereby said rollers and cammembers are caused to operate said groups oi doors in predeterminedrelation.

7. A dispensing apparatus for paper napkins comprising a container forsaid napkins, pivoted trap-doors arranged in opposed groups of two atopposite sides or said con` tainer adjacent to the exit end thereof,mem` bers con ,ected with said trap-doors, and piv oted actuatingmechanism waereby said members are alternately operated to actuate eachgroup or' trap-doors independently of the other group to dispense saidnapkins in predetermined sequence.

S. i dispensing` apparatus for paper napkins comprising a container'adapted to contain a stack or' napkins, guiding devices therein,controlling' members located in predetermined groups at the delivery endor said container in registry with said guiding devices to receive andsupport alternate napkins, and means Yfor operating one group orcontrolling members from its supporting position to release the terminalnapkin and for simultaneously operating another group of said members tosupport the remaining napkins.

9. A dispensing apparatus forpaper napn kins comprising a tubularcontainer', a plus rality or trap-doors arranged in predetermined groupsat the delivery end of said container, an annular actuating member`adapted to be rotatably reciprocated, coop` erating camming devices onsaid doors and annular member for coincidentally actuating said groupsof trapedoors in predetermined relation to each other as said annularmember is reciprocated, and means for reciprocating said annularactuating member.

In testimony whereoi:l l have hereunto set my hand.

PAUL H. HoRwrrT.

